Behavior and neurocognitive performance in children aged 5-10 years who snore compared to controls

Sleep disordered breathing in children is a common but largely underdiagnos ed problem. It ranges in severity from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Preliminary evidence suggests that children with se vere OSAS show reduced neurocognitive performance, however, less is known a bout children who snore but do not have severe upper airway obstruction. Pa rticipants included 16 children referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat/Respir atory departments of a Children's Hospital for evaluation of snoring and 16 non-snoring controls aged 5-10 years. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was carried out in 13 children who snored and 13 controls. The PSG confirmed th e presence of primary snoring in seven and very mild OSAS (as evidenced by chest wall paradox) in eight children referred for snoring while controls s howed a normal sleep pattern. To test for group differences in neurocogniti ve functioning and behavior, children underwent one day of testing during w hich measures of intelligence, memory, attention, social competency, and pr oblematic behavior were collected. Compared to controls, children who snore d showed significantly impaired attention and, although within the normal r ange, lower memory and intelligence scores. No significant group difference s were observed for social competency and problematic behavior. These findi ngs suggest that neurocognitive performance is reduced in children who snor e but are otherwise healthy and who do not have severe OSAS. They further i mply that the impact of mild sleep disordered breathing on daytime function ing may be more significant than previously realized with subsequent implic ations for successful academic and developmental progress.